Last Updated on September 20, 2025
A healthy lunchtime feast in Covent Garden
In a busy part of London like Covent Garden, it surprises me that there are not queues out of the door for Pivot Bistro and Bar.
3 Henrietta Street, the home of Pivot and a couple of other restaurants, is right by the Market and I suspect that, particularly in summer, the lack of an outdoor terrace and the fact that the restaurant is up a flight of stairs so not visible from the street is why it’s not packed out with diners. People just haven’t found it yet! For this part of town, it’s great value and somewhere you can enjoy good quality, well-cooked dishes together with excellent wine at a price that won’t leave your bank manager crying! A main course will set you back somewhere between £16 and £26 while wine starts at £32 a bottle. And it’s a room with a view – the cosy dining room looks right out over Covent Garden, so you can watch the chaos in the street while you enjoy a calm and delicious lunch
The brainchild of Michelin-starred chef Mark Greenaway, Pivot offers an all-day dining menu, a breakfast menu, a Sunday roast, a bar menu and a well-priced pre-theatre menu which we reviewed last year. The lunch we enjoyed last week was a fresh mix of summery dishes that offered the perfect balance between fine dining and comfort food.
With a carafe of Whispering Angel wine to sip on throughout the meal, we probably both erred on the lighter side of the menu. I’d like to try the beef and bone marrow pie sometime – I know it’s a dish that Greenaway has made his own.
My companion started with a dish of Scottish smoked salmon which came with capers, shallots and dill and was dressed with little touches of lemony creme fraiche. She remarked on the fine quality of the smoked salmon and gave me a morsel to taste – perfectly balanced smooth silky slices with great texture and a proper light wood smoke flavour complemented by the garnishes.
My broad bean and pea salad with marinated vegan feta, a crouton and pomegranate dressing was an attempt to pick healthy options. It didn’t disappoint – even the vegan feta was unexpectedly morish, though the crouton was a little chewy.
For my main course, I picked the roasted cod fillet with warm tartare sauce. It was beautifully cooked and the tartare sauce which I had worried might make a dish that was too close to the fish and chip shop beer-battered version, was a lighter, warm and creamy sauce laced with turned vegetables, tarragon and wine.
My companion enjoyed the free-range English chicken – a crown served with mushroom and tarragon cream sauce and noted that it was beautifully cooked, not dry and perfectly tender.
Nutty heritage new potatoes served in a cast iron pan came laced with garlic and more tarragon. We were looking for a green vegetable to pair with both dishes, but my companion was not a fan of the charred hispi cabbage offered on the menu. Instead, we enjoyed asparagus, offered to us by our waiter and unexpectedly served with a poached egg and hollandaise.
It’s actually on the menu as a starter. If I have any criticism of the menu it’s that one more vegetable option would be a good idea – I love salads but neither the summer greens salad with goats cheese nor the heritage tomato salad seemed like a good match for our mains and for me, Jerusalem artichokes work best with game or beef.
Despite the temptation of the sticky toffee pudding and custard, I opted for the (hopefully) healthier vanilla poached pear. Utterly delicious it had just the right amount of bite and was fragrant with vanilla and red wine poaching syrup. I did have a touch of food envy for my companion’s pavlova which came with a berry compote and a warm caramel sauce. Next time!
We remain fans of Pivot – I’m personally planning to go back for the Sunday Roast – £25 for one course or £32 for two, just because I haven’t tried it yet. And, it’s always on our radar for meals out in Covent Garden, where finding places to eat that are not chains or overpriced can sometimes be a challenge. If you haven’t tried it yet yourself, please do – it’s a hidden treasure in full sight!
Pivot Bar and Bistro
3 Henrietta Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2E 8LU
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